Review: Private Charter

Private Charter by N.R. Walker and Anthony Ferguson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Stuart Jenner’s job is high stress, high stakes, and everything he’s strived for. So why, when the apex of his career is within reach, does he stumble? At his doctor’s insistence, he books a privately chartered yacht to sail around the Whitsundays for two weeks.

Foster Knight left the rat race behind six years ago, bought a yacht, and now calls the Great Barrier Reef his home. Sailing tourists around tropical waters is all in a day’s work, and he’s never been happier. Foster can see how stressed and exhausted Stuart is, and he promises him extensive rest and relaxation.

 
How long does an average reader take, to start skimming? For me, it was 2 hours of swimming, sunbathing, and flirting. The constant mention of white speedos got annoying. At 30% I noticed some sex was added but did not bother listening to that.
The narrator was no performer. He read without errors but hadn't the talent to make a boring text seem thrilling.


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Review: Salt Magic, Skin Magic

Salt Magic, Skin Magic by Lee Welch and Joel Leslie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lord Thornby has been trapped on his father’s isolated Yorkshire estate for a year. There are no bars or chains; he simply can’t leave. His sanity is starting to fray. When industrial magician John Blake arrives to investigate a case of witchcraft, he finds the peculiar, arrogant Thornby as alarming as he is attractive. John soon finds himself caught up in a dark fairytale, where all the rules of magic—and love—are changed.

 
I listened with interest and was invested in finding out what was going on. The story stands up to a reread, too. I seldom choose paranormal stories and I enjoyed this world with hidden magic and creatures, where magic is not able to solve all problems.
The romance was underdeveloped. We are told they like each other and then they start having sex.
The narration was good. There should have been more characters with spoken text because I know JL can do so many voices he would have truly shined. I think he made this story more compelling with his performance.
 

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Review: A Thief in the Night

A Thief in the Night by K.J. Charles and James Joseph, Ryan Laughton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Toby never meant to be a highway robber, but needs must. He didn’t plan to impersonate a top London valet either, but when the chance comes to present himself as the earl of Arvon’s new gentleman's gentleman, he grabs it. Unfortunately, the earl is the man he seduced and robbed on the road to get here. Oops.

Miles, Lord Arvon, is not impressed. But he’s faced with a tumbledown home and lost family fortune, and desperate times call for desperate measures. Toby—shameless, practical, and definitely desperate—may be just the man he needs.

To steal back a priceless bracelet, that is. What else were you thinking?

 
I always feel guilty after reading a KJ Charles novel. Or listening. Today, again. It is well written with good characters but just not my cuppa, and so I end up publishing an average rating. I miss longing, tension, hope, and choosing a path in life.
Often I buy KJC because I long for quality, which is not easy to find in MM romance.

One of the narrators was better than his colleague. I wished it was specified who narrates which character. 

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Review: The Barbarian's Vow

The Barbarian's Vow by Keira Andrews and Michael Ferraiuolo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cador only married a pampered prince from a faraway land to save his people. He never expected he’d grow to respect Jem. He never expected to find comfort with him. Now Cador must secure his people’s future and win Jem’s heart. For without it, he has no future at all.

The Barbarian’s Vow is the second and final action-adventure romance in the Barbarian Duet. Wed to the Barbarian must be read first.

 

This was a great story and ending, not at all predictable. I liked all characters, their flaws, and their growth, and was captivated to find out what would happen next. The plot kept changing but never got incomprehensible. The narration was great.

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Review: Wed to the Barbarian

Wed to the Barbarian by Keira Andrews and Michael Ferraiuolo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sheltered in the palace with his books, Jem’s life is peaceful. Even if he’s lonely and yearning for romance, the big, strong men he wants don’t crave small, timid princes.
Then he’s forced to marry a mysterious barbarian. Jem must do his duty. Even if he must leave behind everything and everyone to journey to a forbidding island of ice and stone.


Wed to the Barbarian is the first action-adventure romance in the Barbarian Duet and must be read before The Barbarian’s Vow.

 
This was a nice surprise! I loved the flawed characters and their growth. This was not a sugarcoated fantasy and it kept me listening breathlessly. The only thing that bothered me, was Jem suddenly having a lot of physical strength. 

You can accept the happy-for-now ending of book #1 without listening to book #2, but then you miss out!
The narrator was great. Maybe, after a relisten, I change my rating to 5 stars.

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Review: Mister Bridesmaid

Mister Bridesmaid by Ivy Oliver and Stephen Dexter, Noah Michael Levine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I haven’t seen him in six years… now we’re married.

When my best friend asked me to serve as her Man of Honor, of course I said yes. A trip to Vegas for the week before her wedding and then on to the Florida Keys for the nuptials was an added bonus. The icing on the cake was her brother, Colt.
 

I liked it but was not overwhelmed. It was a bit slow, sometimes and several spoken sentences sounded unreal. I mean, who is screaming mad and comes up with an insult of 6 adjectives? About adjectives, regularly giving a list of characteristics is not the prettiest way of storytelling. And repeating several times "Something is wrong but I don't know what" needs a few examples to give the reader a feeling of suspension.
The light and patient tone Stephen Dexter chose, often got a bit sleepy. He performed a lot slower than the other narrator, which made me constantly tweak the speed. Noah M Levine tended to gloss over a lot of emotions as directed by the text.

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Review: Icecapade

Icecapade by Josh Lanyon and ~
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(Part of His For The Holidays Anthology)

On the eve of the new millennium, diamond thief Noel Snow seduced FBI special agent Robert Cuffe, then fled into the dawn. Now a successful novelist, Noel uses his capers as fodder for his books, and has modeled his hero's nemesis (and potential love interest) on Cuffe. Though he leaves Robert a drunken phone message every New Year's Eve, Noel hasn't seen or heard from him in a decade.

So he's thrilled when his former lover shows up at his upstate farm one Christmas Eve. Elation quickly turns to alarm when Robert accuses Noel of being responsible for a recent rash of diamond heists.

I had a hard time following the story in the beginning, when novel, past and present were mixed together. Icecapade was the best of the Anthology. Maybe even 4 stars, because I loved the hurt and longing. 

Narration was marvelous.

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